'Captain Kate Middleton' takes the helm ahead of America's Cup race

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Photos:Kate Middleton joins Ben Ainslie Racing for a training session

Kate Middleton has given her backing to British Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie's America's Cup bid.

Hide Caption

1 of 10

Photos:Kate Middleton joins Ben Ainslie Racing for a training session

The Duchess of Cambridge is the patron of 1851 Trust, a charity set up by Ainslie's sailing team which provides nautical education for young people.

Hide Caption

2 of 10

Photos:Kate Middleton joins Ben Ainslie Racing for a training session

Middleton helped open the Trust's new education center in Portsmouth, in the south of England. The center -- called the "Tech Deck" -- features exhibitions on the science behind America's Cup engineering.

Hide Caption

3 of 10

Photos:Kate Middleton joins Ben Ainslie Racing for a training session

The Duchess then strapped herself in for a ride on Ainslie's 45-foot catamaran.

Hide Caption

4 of 10

Photos:Kate Middleton joins Ben Ainslie Racing for a training session

Ainslie was testing the yacht ahead of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in Portsmouth, in late July. The two-day racing event is a build-up for next year's America's Cup Challenger series

Hide Caption

5 of 10

Photos:Kate Middleton joins Ben Ainslie Racing for a training session

Middleton, a keen sailor, helped with the rigging while the yacht sliced through waves at around 38 mph (61 kilometers per hour).

Hide Caption

6 of 10

Photos:Kate Middleton joins Ben Ainslie Racing for a training session

The training session took place on the Solent, a strait of water separating mainland England from the Isle of Wight, and where the original America's Cup race set sail in 1851.

Hide Caption

7 of 10

Photos:Kate Middleton joins Ben Ainslie Racing for a training session

Ainslie launched his own multi-million dollar America's Cup bid in 2014, vowing to bring the trophy back to UK soil for the first time in 165 years.

Hide Caption

8 of 10

Photos:Kate Middleton joins Ben Ainslie Racing for a training session

Middleton has since been a high-profile patron of Ainslie's sailing team."You can tell she has done a lot of sailing, she was a natural on board," said Ainslie of the Duchess.

Hide Caption

9 of 10

Photos:Kate Middleton joins Ben Ainslie Racing for a training session

With Middleton on board, Ainslie has been testing one of his team's development yachts -- a foiling AC45 catamaran.